This document summarizes key points from a presentation on the role of open standards in EarthCube. It discusses that EarthCube aims to transform geoscience research and data management over the next decade. It should utilize existing open agreements and standards, including open interfaces and encodings developed by organizations like OGC. EarthCube is taking an agile approach to development, engaging stakeholders and building iteratively. Existing projects and standards from other initiatives like GEOSS provide relevant examples for EarthCube to consider.

1. ®
Open Standards Role
in EarthCube
George Percivall, OGC Chief Engineer
AGU Session IN43B
Emerging Concepts for Cyberinfrastructure in the Geosciences
12 December 2013
Copyright © 2013, Open Geospatial Consortium

2. ANT
Glaciology
NCAR
ANT Astro
&
Geospace
PaleoClimate
Solar
Terrestial
Tectonics
Aeronomy
ARC
Natural
Sciences
Phy. & Dyn
Met.
EAR Ed.
Atm.
Chemistry
EarthScope
Magnetospheric
Phys.
Clm &
Large Scale
Dyn
Geophysics
IES
ARC Sys
Science
(ARCSS)
ARC Obs.
Network
(AON)
Petrology
Geochemis
try
Sediment
Geology
and
Paleobio
Geobio &
Low Temp
Geochem
Hydrology
Geomomor
phology &
land use
dyn
ARC Social
Sciences
EarthCube CI
Biological
Infrastruct
ure
ANT Earth
Sciences
Phys
Ocean
Envir.
Biology
OOI
ANT Ocean
& Atm. Sci.
GeoPRISM
Emerging
Frontiers
(BIO)
Software
High Perf
Computing
Networks
ANT
Organisms
& Ecosys.
Biological
Ocean
Ocean
Drilling
Marine
Geology &
Geo-phys
OCE ED
Data
Chem
Ocean
Source of slide: Eva Zanzerkia, NSF

3. The EarthCube Strategy
CUASHI
DataOne
Unidata
NCAR
IRIS
IEDA
OOI
• Engage all stakeholders:
Geosciences end-users
Geosciences and CI facilities
CI and Computer Science specialists
• Build EarthCube iteratively, with community input and assessment in yearly intervals
• EarthCube built on existing resources, understanding that different
geosciences communities are cannot be uniformly served
3
Source of slide: Eva Zanzerkia, NSF

4. What are the Goals of EarthCube?
EarthCube aims to:
• Transform research and data management practices within
the geosciences community over the next decade
• Provide unprecedented new capabilities, including access
to data and visualization tools, to researchers and
educators
• Vastly improve the productivity of the geosciences
community
• Accelerate research on the Earth system
• Provide a knowledge management framework for the
geosciences
http://earthcube.org/page/about
OGC
®
Copyright © 2013, Open Geospatial Consortium

5. Open Data and a Culture of Cooperation
• EarthCube is based on a network of enthusiasts willing to
make the sharing of data a reality. But is just having open
data enough?
– Open data will not accelerate the process a scientist team needs to
go through to understand, reformat and use the data.
• Letter to Editor response by 44 persons in EarthCube
– “Although the question of who pays for open data is important…
– A greater challenge lies in implementing institutional and cultural
changes required before data from government-sponsored research
can be openly shared”
– Science 29 November 2013: V. 342 pp. 1041-4042
OGC
®
© GEO Secretariat

6. Cyberinfrastructure for Geosciences
• Cyberinfrastructure depends upon agreements for open
interfaces and open encodings
• Development of cyberinfrastructure for Geosciences need
to take into account these open agreements, including
open interfaces and open encodings.
• Once open agreements are in place, it is essential to have
in place policy and procedures, and a governance body for
maintaining those agreements.
OGC
®
Copyright © 2013, Open Geospatial Consortium

7. EarthCube Stakeholder
Alignment Data and
Principles for Test
Governance Meeting
Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Nick Berente, University of Georgia
Burcu Bolukbasi, UIUC
Leslie DeChurch, Georgia Tech University
Courtney Flint, Utah State University
Michael Haberman, UIUC
John L. King, University of Michigan
Eric Knight, University of Sydney
Barbara Lawrence, UCLA
Ethan Masella, Brandeis Uniersity
Charles Mcelroy, Case Western
Reserve University
Support from the National Science Foundation is deeply appreciated:
Barbara Mittleman, Nodality, Inc.
NSF-VOSS EAGER 0956472, “Stakeholder Alignment in Socio-Technical Systems,”
Mark Nolan, UIUC
NSF OCI RAPID 1229928, “Stakeholder Alignment for EarthCube,”
Melanie Radik, Brandeis University
NSF GEO-SciSIP-STS-OCI-INSPIRE 1249607, “Enabling Transformation in the Social
Namchul Shin, Pace University
Sciences, Geosciences, and Cyberinfrastructure,”
Susan Winter, University of Maryland
NSF I-CORPS 1313562 “Stakeholder Alignment for Public-Private Partnerships”
Ilya Zaslavsky, UCSD

8. Where such standards exist, EarthCube should use formal, internationally
approved, geoscience-wide data access/sharing standards and protocols
(e.g. ISO, OGC). (v100 R2)
Where there are not formal, international standards, please indicate your
priority between, on the one hand, EarthCube encouraging development or
extension of formal, internationally approved, geoscience-wide data
access/sharing standards and protocols (0) versus EarthCube have its own
systems of standards and protocols (1). (v101 R2)
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Formal international standards
EC encourage where no standards

9. Recent EarthCube awards by NSF
•
•
•
•
Building Blocks
Conceptual Architecture
Research Networks
Test Governance – an Agile approach
OGC
®
© GEO Secretariat

10. Agile development benefits from prototyping
• Manifesto for Agile Software Development
– Individuals and interactions
over processes and tools
– Working software
over comprehensive documentation
– Customer collaboration
over contract negotiation
– Responding to change
over following a plan
• Innovation and creativity in development occurs
most reliably with multiple prototypes
OGC
®

11. GEOSS approach relevant to EarthCube
GEOSS connects Observations to Decisions

12. GEOSS Interoperability Arrangements
- From the GEOSS 10 Year Plan Reference Document -
• Interoperability through open interfaces
– Interoperability specifications agreed to among contributing
systems
– Access to data and information through service interfaces
• Open standards and intellectual property rights
– GEOSS adopting standards; agreed upon by consensus,
preference to formal international standards
– GEOSS will not require commercial or proprietary standards
– Multiple software implementations compliant with the open
standards should exist
– Goal is that at least one of the implementations should be
available to all implementers "royalty-free"

13. GEOSS Data Sharing Principles
• Full and Open Exchange of Data
• Data and Products at Minimum Time delay and
Minimum Cost
• Free of Charge or Cost of Reproduction

14. GEOSS Information System
and GEOSS DataCORE
www.geoportal.org
• GEO Portal - new version
released last week
• More than 14 million
discoverable Resources
• More than 1.2 million
are
• Brokered Search of >20
Community Catalogues
• Example search:
1081 datasets for
Land Cover available as
GEO DataCORE
© GEO Secretariat

15. GEOSS AIP Architecture
Community Objectives
GEOSS Vision and Targets
Societal Benefit Areas
System of Systems/ Interoperability
Enterprise
Viewpoint
Information Framework
Earth Observations
Geographic Features
Spatial Referencing
Metadata and Quality
GEOSS Data-CORE
Abstract/Best Practices
Services
Information
Computational
Viewpoint
Catalog/Registry
Access and Order
Processing Services
Sensor Web
User Identity
Viewpoint
Optimized Design/Development
Use Cases
Component Types
Engineering
Discover
Resources
Viewpoint
Visualize
and Access
GEOSS
User
Process and
Automate
Maintain and
Support SoS
Publish
Resources
Registries
Best Practices
Wiki
User
Requirements
Technology
Viewpoint
Tutorials
RM-ODP Viewpoints
GEO
Web Portal
Components
& Services
Standards and
Interoperability
GEOSS
Resource
Provider
Main GEO
Web Site
GEOSS Common
Infrastructure
Semantics
Registered Community Resources
Client Tier
Community
Portals
Client
Applications
Discovery
Broker
GEOSS
Clearinghouse
Test
Facility
Mediation Tier
Community
Catalogues
Portrayal
Workflow
Management Servers
User
Management
Processing
Servers
Sensor Web
Servers
Model Web
Servers
Access
Brokers
Access Tier
GEONETCast
Data
Servers

16. EarthCube Cyberinfrastructure
• Agile development and governance
• Open Data and a Culture of Cooperation
• Building blocks and architecture simultaneously and
iteratively
• Coordinating organizations
– ESIP, RDA, Belmont Forum, OGC and many others
• An open community with many opportunities and benefits
– http://earthcube.org/
OGC
®
Copyright © 2013, Open Geospatial Consortium

17. Thanks
George Percivall, OGC
Member of EarthCube
Test Governance